Method and apparatus for the manufacture of frozen food products

ABSTRACT

Methods of manufacturing a frozen food product in a chamber having a tubular refrigerated wall and a partition which is movable along the chamber between upper and lower positions include multiple steps. First, after positioning the partition at its upper position, a liquid food product mix is introduced into the chamber above the partition so that the mix forms a pool of a selected depth atop the partition. The partition is then moved downward towards its lower position at a selected rate which causes the mix in the pool to flow outward under gravity into contact with the wall where it at least partially freezes to form an adherent uniform frozen mix layer on progressively lower segments of that wall. Then, the frozen mix layer is scraped from the wall to form a multiplicity of frozen scrapings, which are collected in a receptacle and dispensed as a frozen food product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the manufacture of food products. It relates especially to the manufacture of a chilled, partially frozen or frozen confection such as ice cream, frozen yogurt, slush and the like which will be referred to hereinafter as “frozen food product(s).”

2. Background Information

For some time it has been known to make frozen food products by depositing a liquid product mix onto a refrigerated surface to form an at least partially frozen layer on that surface and then scraping the layer from the surface to produce a frozen food product. Apparatus for doing this using a flat refrigerated surface is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,967 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,909. Such apparatus employing a curved refrigerated surface are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,190 and U.S. 2009/0120306A1. In the latter case, the curved surface is often the refrigerated wall of a vertically oriented cooling chamber containing a reciprocating member whose peripheral edge includes a scraper in sliding contact with the chamber wall. In that apparatus, provision is made for spraying a liquid food mix into the chamber below the reciprocating member so that the food mix forms a frozen mix layer on the wall of the chamber below that member. Then, the reciprocating member is moved downward in the chamber whereby its scraping edge scrapes the frozen layer from the chamber wall and the scrapings are collected as a frozen food product in a removeable tray at the bottom of the chamber.

All such apparatus produce somewhat satisfactory frozen food products. However, they do have certain drawbacks. For example, the application of the food product mix to the wall of a cooling chamber by spraying sometimes results in portions of the applied mix running down the chamber wall before they can freeze resulting in the formation of a frozen mix layer on the wall that has varying thickness and uneven consistency which can degrade the uniformity, texture and/or mouth-feel of the final frozen food product. Also, after formation of the final product, the product has to be transferred from the apparatus' collection tray to a separate external container before it can be consumed by a user. Therefore, there is a need for apparatus of this type which can make superior frozen food products efficiently while still avoiding the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

is Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing frozen food products such as ice cream, frozen yogurt, slushes and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a method which results in a frozen food product of uniform consistency.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for performing the above method which is especially suited for implementation as a single serve or vending machine.

Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of this type which is relatively simple and easy to use.

A further object is to provide such apparatus which dispenses a frozen food product directly into a container from which the product can be consumed.

A further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus which can produce varying amounts of different frozen food products from single serve portions to products in bulk.

Other objects will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the apparatus embodying the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are adapted to effect such steps, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

In general, the present apparatus comprises a chamber having a tubular wall with upper and lower ends. A movable partition is positioned in the chamber, that partition having a periphery close to the interior surface of the chamber wall. Also supported by the partition and movable therewith is a scraping device for scraping that wall surface. The apparatus further includes a reciprocating device which responds to signals from a controller to make the partition move up and down within the chamber between an upper, FILL, position and a lower, SCRAPE, position. Between those two positions, the chamber wall is refrigerated to provide a lengthwise chill zone therein.

To make a food product, the reciprocating device is controlled to station the partition at its FILL position and a selected volume of a liquid food product mix is introduced into the chamber above the partition so that the mix forms a pool of determined depth directly on the partition. Next, the reciprocating device is controlled to move the partition downward in the chamber into the chill zone so that the periphery of the mix pool contacting the chamber wall at least partially freezes and adheres to that wall. As the partition continues its downward movement, the mix pool, under the influence of gravity, feeds more and more mix outward to the chamber wall so that, by the time the partition has exited the chill zone and reached its SCRAPE position, substantially all of the initial volume of mix in the mix pool will have been applied as a substantially uniform coating to the wall of the chamber in the chill zone thereof.

It is a feature of the invention that by controlling characteristics of the mix, e.g. viscosity, freezing temperature, etc. and the downward movement of the partition, a very uniform coating of liquid mix may be applied to the chamber wall resulting in an equally uniform and consistent at least partially frozen mix layer on that wall.

After the partition reaches its SCRAPE position in the chamber, the apparatus begins the step of scraping the at least partially frozen food mix layer from the chamber wall. For this, the reciprocating device is controlled to move the partition upward in the chamber enabling the scraping device supported by the partition to scrape the frozen mix from the chamber wall to form a multiplicity of frozen scrapings which accumulate in the chamber atop the partition. The partition continues its upward travel in the chamber until all of the frozen mix layer has been removed from the chamber wall in the chill zone and collected as frozen scrapings on the partition.

Finally, the reciprocating device is controlled to move the partition to a DISPENSE position, preferably at or near the upper end of the chamber, at which the collected scrapings can be moved outside the chamber for consumption as a frozen food product.

In one apparatus embodiment, the reciprocating device moves the partition to a DISPENSE position that is flush with the upper end of the chamber wall where a pushing device is present to push the scrapings atop the partition into a container outside the chamber, the frozen scrapings collected in the container constituting the frozen food product.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the scraping device is at the rim of a sealed container which holds the initial liquid food product mix. In this embodiment, with the partition in its FILL position, the container cover is removed and the container contents emptied into the chamber above the partition so that it forms a pool of mix on the partition as before. Also as before, the reciprocating device is controlled to move the partition downward through the chamber chill zone to the partition's SCRAPE position to form a uniform layer of at least partially frozen mix on the chamber wall in the chill zone. In this embodiment, however, the SCRAPE position is located well below the chill zone so that the very same container, without its cover, can be inserted through a front opening in the chamber wall and seated on the partition such that the scraping device at the rim of the container is positioned just below the chill zone.

Then, the reciprocating device is controlled to raise the partition and container thereon so that the scraping device at the container's rim scrapes the frozen mix layer from the chamber wall in the chill zone with result that the frozen scrapings drop down and collect in the same container that initially contained the liquid mix. The reciprocating device continues to raise the partition and the container thereon beyond the partition's FILL position to a DISPENSE position at which the container, now filled with a frozen food product, is accessible through another front opening in the chamber wall where it can be picked up by a user.

In both apparatus embodiments, the volume of frozen food mix that can be produced during each cycle of the reciprocating partition depends upon the diameter and length of the chamber's chill zone.

As we shall see, the apparatus can be designed and adapted to make a variety of different chilled or at least partially frozen food products and flavors thereof. Therefore, it should find wide application wherever there is a need for a machine to dispense such products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus for manufacturing a frozen food product according to the invention;

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate the steps for carrying out the method of making a frozen food product according to the invention;

FIG. 3A is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a second apparatus embodiment at the FIG. 2A stage of a frozen food product manufacturing cycle, and

FIG. 3B is a similar view of that apparatus at the FIG. 2C stage of the product manufacturing cycle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the present apparatus comprises a chamber indicated generally at 10 comprising a tubular wall 10 a having upper and lower ends. Wall 10 a is preferably cylindrical. However, it could have some other cross-sectional shape, e.g. oval, and the wall may have any practical length. A refrigeration unit 11 circulates a refrigerant via pipes 11 a through a helical passage 11 b in chamber wall 10 a to cool a segment thereof in a chill zone C.

Movably positioned in chamber 10 is a partition 12 having the same shape and comparable dimensions as the inner surface of wall 10 a. Partition 12 supports at its periphery a scraping device 14 which is in sliding contact with the interior surface of chamber wall 10 a. Preferably device 14 is in the form of a thin, curved, relatively stiff scraper blade of a suitable food grade plastic material. It may be seated in a suitable slot in the top or side of the partition per se. As we shall see, device 14 acts both as a sliding seal and a scraper during different stages of the manufacturing process. In some cases, its sealing function may be supplemented by an O-ring seal (not shown) encircling the partition below device 14.

Partition 12 is connected to the upper end of a shaft 16 whose lower end leads to a suitable reciprocating device such as a conventional pneumatic actuator 18 mounted to the lower end of the chamber wall 10 a by suitable support structure 22. Air from a pressurized source is supplied alternatively to the opposite ends of actuator 18 by way of a valve 24 under the control of controller 26 so that the actuator 18 can be caused to raise and lower partition 12 within chamber 10 between an upper, FILL, position shown in solid lines and a lower, SCRAPE, position shown in phantom.

As seen in FIG. 1, an inlet 28 is provided in chamber wall 10 a above the FILL position of partition 12. That inlet is connected to a pipe 32 which branches out to a plurality of solenoid valves 34 a-34 c which are, in turn, connected to different liquid food product mix sources M_(L), M_(L1), M_(L2). Each valve 34 a-34 c is controlled by signals from controller 26.

Mounted at the upper end of chamber wall 10 a is a pushing device 36 which is movable horizontally across the upper end of wall 10 a. Device 36 is connected to one end of a shaft 38 which may be moved horizontally by a pneumatic actuator 42 similar to actuator 18. Air from a pressurized source is provided alternatively to opposite ends of actuator 42 by way of a valve 44 controlled by signals from controller 26 so that device 36 may be moved from the retracted position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 to the extended position shown in phantom in that same figure. The apparatus may also include a shelf 46 projecting from the chamber wall 10 a under the extended position of device 36 for supporting a food product container or receptacle shown in phantom at R in FIG. 1.

Refer now to FIGS. 2A-2D of the drawings which show the successive steps for making a frozen food product according to the invention. Controller 26 is programmed to initialize the apparatus 10 by activating refrigeration device 11 to cool the chill zone C to a selected low temperature and controlling actuator 18 to position partition 12 at its FILL below inlet 28 and controlling the actuator 42 to station the pushing device 36 at its solid line position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A.

In Step 1 (FILL) of the process shown in FIG. 2A, controller 26 activates a selected one of valves 34 a-34 c, e.g. valve 34 a, -to feed a selected volume of liquid food product mix M_(L) into chamber 10 on top of partition 12. As noted previously, device 14 forms a sliding seal with the chamber wall 10 a so that the mix M_(L) forms a pool on partition 12 as shown in FIG. 2A. Then, in Step 2 (COAT) shown in FIG. 2B, controller 26 controls valve 24 to cause actuator 18 to move shaft 16 and partition 12 downward in chamber 10 at a selected rate depending mainly the viscosity and freezing point of the mix M_(L). As the partition 12 moves downward in chamber 10 into the chill zone C, the periphery of the liquid mix pool on the partition which is in contact with the chamber wall 10 a at least partially freezes and adheres to the wall. As partition 12 continues its downward movement, the liquid mix M_(L) in the pool on the partition moves outward under gravity and is coated onto progressively lower segments of the chamber wall 10 a to form a uniform frozen mix layer M_(F) on that wall throughout the entire length of the chill zone C whereupon the partition 12 bottoms out at its SCRAPE position below the chill zone shown in phantom in FIG. 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, during a Step 3 (SCRAPE), controller 26 controls valve 24 to cause actuator 18 to move partition 12 upward in chamber 10 into the chill zone C. At this point, the device 14 supported by the partition performs a scraping function by scraping the frozen food product layer M_(F) from wall 10 a to create frozen scrapings S_(F) on top of partition 12 within chamber 10. The SCRAPE step persists until the partition 12 reaches at least the upper end of the chill zone C so that substantially all of the frozen scrapings have accumulated atop partition 12. Finally, in Step 4 (DISPENSE) illustrated in FIG. 2D, the controller 26 controls valve 24 to cause the actuator 18 to move the partition 12 to the upper end of wall 10 a and then controls valve 44 to cause actuator 42 to move pushing device 36 horizontally to push the frozen scrapings S_(F) from partition 12, compressing them in the process, the compressed scrapings then dropping as a frozen food product P_(F) into a receptacle R positioned on shelf 46. Receptacle R may be a container or cup from which the food product may be consumed or, if chill zone C is large enough, a compression device having moveable walls for further compressing scrapings into the form of a frozen food product brick suitable for packaging or storage.

Refer now to FIG. 3A which illustrates an apparatus embodiment especially adapted for incorporation into a single serve or vending machine controlled by a vendor or consumer. Like the apparatus described above, this embodiment includes a chamber 50 having a tubular wall 50 a and a movable partition 52 positioned in the chamber, the partition having a peripheral seal 54 in sliding engagement with the chamber wall 50 a. Partition 52 is mounted to the upper end of a shaft 56 which may be reciprocated by a reciprocating device similar to the one in FIG. 1. Partition 52 may be moved between an upper, FILL, position shown in solid lines in FIG. 3A and a lower, SCRAPE, position shown in phantom in that same figure under the control of a controller similar to controller 26 in FIG. 1. Also as before, a segment on the chamber wall 50 a between the FILL and SCRAPE positions is refrigerated to form a chill zone C. In this embodiment, however, the user introduces a liquid food product mix M_(L) into chamber 50 atop partition 52 manually.

More particularly, for use with apparatus 50, a special receptacle is provided in the form of a cup 60 which contains a selected food product mix, e.g. mix M_(L), M_(L1), M_(L2), etc. Cup 60 may be of a paper or plastic material similar to that of conventional cups containing yogurt and which have a flat radial rim flange to which a paper or foil cover is adhered to seal the cup contents. In this case, however, the cup 60 has an all around, upwardly-outwardly extending, e.g. frustoconical, flange 60 a which functions as the scraping device 46 described above. In other words, flange 60 a is stiff enough to scrape the frozen mix layer M_(F) from the wall 50 a in FIG. 3B. A removable cover 60 b is secured to the upper surface of flange 60 a to seal in the contents of cup 60. Cover 60 b may be made of any paper, foil or plastic sheet material that is customarily used to seal the top of a beverage or food container.

A user may select from a variety of cups 60 stored in a suitable refrigerated space, the containers holding a variety of different food mixes and mix flavors. As described above in connection with FIG. 1, after the apparatus is initialized by positioning partition 52 at its FILL position shown in FIG. 3A, a user may select a cup 60 and remove its cover 60 b and then pour the defined contents of the cup through a convenient front opening 66 into the upper end of chamber 50 above the partition 52 to form a pool of mix M_(L) atop the partition as shown in FIG. 3A.

The controller is programmed to then cause the reciprocating device to move the partition 52 downward in chamber 50 through the chill zone C so that, as before, the mix M_(L) is coated onto wall 50 a as an at least partially, frozen layer M_(F) of uniform thickness and consistency throughout the entire length of the chill zone C.

It is the feature of this invention embodiment that the same cup 60 that contained the liquid food product mix M_(L) also comprises the scraping device that is supported by and moveable with partition 52, as well as the receptacle that will contain the final frozen food product P_(F). To achieve these objectives, a front opening 68 is provided in the chamber wall 50 a near the bottom thereof and the SCRAPE position of partition 52 is located just below that opening as shown in phantom at 52 in FIG. 3A. Opening 68 is large enough to receive a cup 60 so that after the cup contents have been emptied into fill opening 66, the cup 60 may be inserted through opening 68 and seated on partition 52 as shown in phantom in FIG. 3A in preparation for the FIG. 2C SCRAPE step of the manufacturing process. In this case, that step is carried out by the scraping device 60 a at the rim of the cup 60 which, when partition 52 is in its SCRAPE position, is located below the chill zone C.

At this point, the apparatus' controller commences the SCRAPE step by moving partition 52 upward in chamber 50 thereby pushing cup 60 and its scraping device 60 a into the frozen mix layer M_(F) on wall 50 a in the chill zone C. Resultantly, layer M_(F) is reduced to frozen scrapings S_(F) which fall into and accumulate within cup 60 as shown in FIG. 3B.

As cup 60 continues its upward movement on partition 52, the scraping device 60 a scrapes substantially all of the frozen mix layer M_(F) from wall 50 a. Then, the apparatus' controller is programmed to move the cup 60 further upward to a DISPENSE position where the container 60 and its contents are accessible through another front opening 72 in the chamber wall 50 a as shown in phantom in FIG. 3B so that they can be retrieved manually by a user. The controller may then return the partition 52 to its FILL position shown in FIG. 3A in preparation for the next product manufacturing cycle.

The apparatus depicted in FIGS. 3A and 3B has the same advantages as the one shown in FIG. 1 in terms of providing frozen food products with unusually good uniformity and consistency due to the mode of applying the liquid mix to the chamber wall by pooling the mix atop the partition. It has an additional advantage in that same container that is used to deliver the liquid mix to the apparatus is also used to collect and dispense the final frozen food product P_(F) to the customer.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention described herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a frozen food product, said method comprising the steps of providing a chamber having a tubular wall with upper and lower ends; refrigerating a segment of the wall to form a chill zone therein; partitioning the chamber with a partition having a periphery close to said wall and which is movable along the chamber between upper and lower positions therein; after positioning the partition at said upper position, during a filling step, introducing a liquid food product mix into the chamber above the partition so that the mix forms a pool of selected depth atop the partition; then during a coating step, moving the partition downward through the chill zone at a selected rate which causes the mix in the pool to flow outward under gravity into contact with said wall where it at least partially freezes to form an adherent at least partially frozen mix layer on progressively lower segments of said wall in the chill zone; continuing the downward movement of the partition until the partition has exited the chill zone and reached said lower position; scraping the frozen mix layer from said wall to form a multiplicity of frozen scrapings, and dispensing the frozen scrapings from the apparatus as said frozen food product.
 2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the scraping step is performed by a scraping device supported by and movable with the partition when the partition is moved upward in the chamber from said lower position toward said upper position along the length of the chill zone, the scraping step producing frozen scrapings which collect atop the partition.
 3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein the dispensing step is performed by moving the partition and the frozen scrapings thereon to a third position above the upper position, and moving the scrapings from atop the partition into a receptacle outside the chamber.
 4. The method defined in claim 2 wherein the scraping step is performed by a scraping device attached to the partition at or near the periphery thereof.
 5. The method defined in claim 2 wherein the scraping step is performed by a scraping device at the rim of a receptacle supported on the partition so that said scrapings accumulate in the receptacle.
 6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein the dispensing step is performed by moving the partition and receptacle thereon to a third position above the upper position where the receptacle and scrapings therein area accessible from outside the chamber.
 7. The method defined in claim 2 and further including the step of controlling the temperature of the chill zone and the descent of the partition depending upon the characteristics of the mix so that substantially the entire initial pool of mix is depleted before the partition descends below the chill zone during the coating step.
 8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the filling step includes the selection from among a plurality of different liquid mixes for introduction into the chamber.
 9. Apparatus for manufacturing a chilled or frozen food product, said apparatus comprising a chamber having a tubular wall with upper and lower ends; a refrigerating device for refrigerating a segment of said wall to form a chill zone therein; a partition in the chamber which is movable along the chamber between upper and lower positions; an inlet in said wall above said upper position for introducing a liquid food product mix into the chamber; a scraping device supported by and movable with the partition, said scraping device being adapted to slidably contact said wall; a reciprocating device connected to the partition for moving the partition between said upper and lower positions, and a controller which controls the reciprocating device to move the partition to said upper position so that a liquid food product mix can be introduced through said inlet into the chamber above the partition so that the mix forms a pool of a selected depth atop the partition, and then moves the partition downward through the chill zone at a selected rate so that the mix in the pool flows outward under gravity into contact with said wall where it at least partially freezes to form an adherent frozen mix layer on progressively lower segments of said wall in the chill zone; a scraping device for scraping the frozen mix layer from said wall to form a multiplicity of frozen scrapings, and a dispensing device for removing the frozen scrapings from the chamber as said frozen food product.
 10. The apparatus defined in claim 9 wherein the scraping device is supported by and movable with the partition when the partition is moved upward in the chamber from said lower position toward said upper position along the length of the chill zone whereby the frozen scrapings collect atop the partition.
 11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein the controller is also programmed to move the partition and the frozen scrapings thereon to a third position above the upper position, and the apparatus also includes a device adjacent said third position for moving the frozen scrapings from atop the partition into a receptacle outside the chamber.
 12. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein the scraping device is a curved relatively stiff scraper blade attached to the partition at or near the periphery thereof.
 13. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein the scraping device comprises a curved relatively stiff scraper blade at the rim of a receptacle supported on the partition during the upward movement thereof so that said frozen scrapings accumulate in the receptacle.
 14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the controller is also programmed to move the partition and receptacle thereon to a third position above said upper position where the receptacle and its contents are accessible from outside the chamber.
 15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 wherein said receptacle is a sealable receptacle which originally contained said liquid mix.
 16. The apparatus defined in claim 9 wherein the controller is also programmed to control the temperature of the chill zone and the descent of the partition depending upon the characteristics of said mix so that substantially the entire initial pool of mix is depleted before the partition leaves the chill zone during its descent to said lower position.
 17. A receptacle for use in apparatus for manufacturing a frozen food product, said receptacle comprising a cup having a rim, and an upwardly-outwardly extending scraper blade extending all around said rim, said blade having an upper surface.
 18. The receptacle defined in claim 17 and further including a cover removably adhered to said upper surface of the blade. 